Delano a Finalist For to John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award

LUBBOCK, Texas – Mercer's Garett Delano has been named a finalist for the 2021 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, the College Baseball Foundation announced on Tuesday.

The award is named for former Washington State University standout John Olerud, who achieved success both as a first baseman and left-handed pitcher during the late 1980s. He was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. The award will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this summer.

The five finalists for the award, presented by the College Baseball Foundation, are seniors Garett Delano from Mercer and Danny Hosley from Norfolk State, juniors Dylan Nedved from Iowa and Spencer Schwellenbach from Nebraska and freshman Justin Campbell from Oklahoma State.

"There is nobody more deserving of this than Garett," remarked head coach Craig Gibson. "Looking at his numbers, I don't know many two-way players playing as well as him. Being our Friday night starter and hitting in the middle of the order, it's unbelievable what he has achieved so far. He embodies what coaches look for in a two-way player."

Delano, a graduate student from Callahan, Fla., is an infielder and right-handed pitcher for the Bears. He led the team in batting average, .337 and runs batted in 52. Delano showed off power as he hit nine home runs and 13 doubles. On the mound, he has made 15 appearances - 12 starts and 3 appearances in relief. He has a 6-1 record and an ERA of 4.32. Delano tallied 60 strikeouts to only 20 walks and held opponents to a .231 average through 81.1 innings pitched. He led the team in innings pitched and was second in wins.

"Being named a finalist for the John Olerud Award is very exciting," remarked Delano. "This award has been a goal of mine throughout my entire collegiate career, and I'm super blessed to be in the position I'm in. Thank you to the National College Baseball Hall of Fame for the nomination, as well as to my coaches at Mercer for giving me this opportunity."

Following his first start as a Bear against Marshall, he was named the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Week. Against the Thundering Herd, Delano tossed seven innings of two-hit baseball while fanning a career-high 11 batters. In the same game, he went two-for-four at the plate.

Against The Citadel on May 14, Delano went a career-high 8.2 innings and fanned four batters while limiting the Bulldogs to only three hits in the game.

Delano was one of two Bears to earn First Team All-SoCon honors. He earned first-team honors at second base and second-team honors as a starting pitcher. He was the only player in the Southern Conference to take home two honors for two positions.

For more information on the John Olerud Award, visit the College Baseball Foundation website at www.collegebaseballhall.org.

2021 JOHN OLERUD TWO-WAY PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALISTS

Name	Class	School	Conference
Justin Campbell	Fr.	Oklahoma State	Big 12
Garett Delano	Sr.	Mercer	Southern
Danny Hosley	Sr.	Norfolk State	Mid-Eastern
Dylan Nedved	Jr.	Iowa	Big Ten
Spencer Schwellenbach	Jr.	Nebraska	Big Ten

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Delano a Finalist For to John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award

Players Mentioned

Garett Delano

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